Local hunters say they did not shoot 66% of the turtle doves they could have during this past spring hunting season.

The figure emerges from a self-reporting survey of hunters carried out by the country’s leading hunting lobby, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK).

FKNK members were asked to state how many turtle doves they observed during the season, how many turtle dove “take opportunities” they came across, how many turtle doves they actually shot, and the time they spent hunting.

According to the figures, an average of 4,016 hunters were out hunting on each day of the 2024 spring hunting season.

The self-reported statistics suggest they are not very good shots, however: hunters reported shooting down an average of just 0.34 turtle doves each. In 66% of turtle dove “take opportunities” reported, hunters did not shoot down the bird, the FKNK survey concluded.

The FKNK said that the findings proved that a spring hunt for turtle dove remained sustainable. It urged its members to take part in future such surveys.

The lobby group had carried out similar surveys in 2022 and 2023. In those years, hunters reported that 76% (2022) and 70% (2023) of turtle doves available for harvest were not taken.

Unlike in previous years, the FKNK provided no details about illegalities reported and prosecuted during this year’s spring hunting season.

The FKNK figures are likely to be disputed by bird conservation and animal welfare activists, who have in the past said that self-reported statistics cannot be trusted.

Malta’s hunting regulator, the Wild Bird Regulation Unit, relies heavily on hunters self-reporting their catches via SMS or smartphone app.

According to WBRU data for 2023 (the latest available data), that year the 9,934 licenced hunters in Malta and Gozo caught a total of 9,188 huntable species.